After building a 25-match win streak in the Big 10 conference, Nebraska volleyball’s success translated to the professional scene on November 25. Three Huskers seniors, Merritt Beason, Lindsay Krause, and Leyla Blackwell, gave the team yet another reason to celebrate after getting drafted into the Pro Volleyball Federation. Now, sophomore Bergen Reilly has added another Big 10 honor to the celebrations.

While Reilly has ways to go before making it to a PVF team, the setter is shaping up to be a standout. After Nebraska’s 3-0 sweep against rivals Wisconsin, Bergen Reilly has earned her fifth Big 10 weekly setter award. “This time she shares it with Penn State’s Izzy Starck.” Lincoln Arneal of the Huskers Illustrated posted on X.  “No Surprise here,” added the official Huskers handle.

“Reilly averaged 12.83 assists per set with 11 digs, five kills, four blocks, and two aces in sweeps against Iowa and Wisconsin last week. The Huskers hit .355 in the two wins,” Arneal added. The setter has posted similarly impressive stats throughout the season. The volleyball star’s season total stands at 297 digs, and a whopping 1075 assists. That gives Reilly a per-set assist rate of 11.20.

No wonder this isn’t her first weekly setter honor for the season. And while the Sioux Falls, San Diego native may be well on her way to breaking records at Nebraska, her fellow seniors are already creating history for the Huskers. A day before Bergen Reilly’s success, three Nebraska Huskers made it to the PVF with Merritt Beason becoming the overall first pick of the 2024 draft.

After helping Nebraska sweep seven of their last eight regular season games, Beason will now replicate this success for the Atlanta Vibe. Besides Beason, senior Lindsay Krause joined the Omaha Supernovas as the 19th pick in round three. Finally, Leyla Blackwell became the 26th pick in round four and will don the San Diego Mojo jersey for the upcoming season. Yet despite their success, there’s a tinge of sadness mixed with the celebrations as Nebraska.

Nebraska volleyball’s bittersweet triumph

With a 40-game win streak at home and a 25-game streak in 2024, the Huskers have found unprecedented success in this year’s Big 10 regular season. Their dominance has been so profound that the team has dropped just two sets in their last ten matches. However, the seniors who have helped the Huskers reach such heights won’t be here in 2025.

Nebraska volleyball coach John Cook looked back at their contribution after their match with Wisconsin. “You know, it’s hard to put into words what this senior group means, and what they’ve done… Some of these seniors, Lindsay especially, Lexi, Kennedy, have been here forever because they committed so early,” said Cook.

“Feels like they’ve been here for seven years,” added Cook, lamenting how the Huskers will lose so many talented players after the 2024 season. However, the AVCA Coach of the Year winner is also proud of how the Nebraska players have a bright future as professionals. In fact, Beason’s head coach at the Atlanta Vibe will be none other than Huskers alumni Kayla Banwarth.

However, these seniors have one more goal before leaving college volleyball. “I mean, they’ve literally done everything but win a national championship, and you know, we still got an opportunity to do that,” John Cook told the media. So, now the entire Nebraska volleyball squad including young stars like Bergen Reilly, and seniors such as Merritt Beason are ready to chase their 2024 NCAA title dreams.